Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization - Office of ...

PHYSICS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
Inorganic PV and electrochemical PV (EPV) cells operate upon the establishment of an electric potential difference between the n- and
p-type regions in an inorganic PV cell or between an n- or p-type semiconductor and redox electrolyte, in the case of an EPV cell. This
difference creates an electrical diode structure. The current-voltage behavior of such junctions follows the diode equations, in which the
current flow in one direction across the junction is constant with voltage, whereas the current flow in the other direction across the
junction increases exponentially with the applied voltage. Hence, the dark current density (Jdark [amps/cm 2 ), as a function of the voltage
(V) applied to this diode (assuming ideal diode behavior), is:
Jdark (V) = J0( e qV/kT – 1) (1)
where J0 is a constant, q is electronic charge, k is Boltzman’s constant, and T is temperature (K).
If a diode is illuminated, additional charge carriers will be created upon absorption of the light. These carriers will create an additional
current flow across the junction, and they must be added to the dark current to obtain the total current in the system. For illumination
with light comprising many different wavelengths, the total photo-induced current can be calculated by summing (i.e., integrating) the
contributions to the current from excitation at each wavelength. Hence, the short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc) is:
Jsc = q ∫ Is (E) (QY)(E) dE (2)
where Is = solar photon flux, E = photon energy (inversely proportional to the wavelength of the photon), and QY = quantum yield
(electrons collected per incident photon).
The net current density (J) is:
J(V) = Jsc – Jdark (V) = Jsc - J0( e qV/kT – 1) (3a)
However, ideal diode behavior is seldom seen. This is accounted for by introducing a non-ideality factor, m, into Equation 3a:
J(V) = Jsc – Jdark (V) = Jsc - J0( e qV/mkT – 1) (3b)
Because no current flows at open circuit, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) for the ideal device is obtained by setting J(V) = 0,
Voc = [kT/q] ln [(Jsc/ J0) + 1] (4)
A plot of the net photocurrent density (J) vs. voltage is provided in the figure, which shows the current-voltage characteristic of a PV
cell.
The conversion efficiency (η) of the PV cell is determined by the maximum
rectangle in the figure that can fit within the net photocurrent-voltage
characteristic. The maximum power point of the cell, or so-called operating
point, is the values of J and V (Jm and Vm) at which the maximum rectangle in
the figure meets the J-V curve. This defines a term called the “fill factor” (FF)
FF = JmVm/JscVoc (5)
that characterizes the “squareness” of the J-V characteristic. The maximum FF
value is 1.0; it occurs when Jm = Jsc and Vm = Voc, but in reality, the diode
equation limits the maximum FF to 0.83.
The cell conversion efficiency is the electrical power density (JmVm) (watts/cm 2 )
divided by the incident solar power density (Psun), multiplied by 100 to obtain a
percent value.
η = JmVm/Psun = 100 * JscVoc FF/Psun (6)
17